NOVEMBER 15 2008
AMERICANWAY 77
mention what are probably the best frites
(Belgian fries) in theworld. Butmost of all,
for people likeVanSteenbergen, thosewho
really lovemaking clothes, this is a fashion-
conscious city that celebrates the design,
not the designers. People here are farmore
interested in thework than in the image.
AW
big money and do those enormous collec-
tions for those fashionhouses inMilan and
Paris,”VanSteenbergen says. “I’m in search
of old values inanewworld.”
Tohim, and to themany other designers
who have made Antwerp their home, this
city is the perfect size; it’s close to somuch
yet livable and not distractingly hectic. It
has great art, music, and culture, not to
out,” she says. “He even pipes the lining—
which no one will ever see. They feel like
garments thataristocrats fromsomebygone
agewouldhave hadmade for
[
themselves
]
,
they’re so regal.”
BAck In AnTwerP, at his charm-
less yet functional studio, Van Steenbergen
chooses fabrics, pins designs on manne-
quins, andhasfittingswithhismodelsashe
plans the remainder of his new collection.
He’son topof the fashionworld,but instead
of living inoneof themore traditional fash-
ion cities—Paris,Milan, newYork— this
young man who’s been touted as the next
nicolas Ghesquiére (of Balenciaga) and
Alber elbaz (of Lanvin) is staying put in
Antwerp. It’s his hometown and his source
of inspiration. “I neverwanted togo for the
BeYond TIM
VAn STeenBerGen
Recent graduates of Antwerp’s Royal Academy of
FineArts continue tomake a splash in the fashion
world. Take, for example, London-based
Peter
Pilotto
(
, who has had his
work featured inBritain’s
Vogue
,
Harper’sBazaar,
and the
NewYorkTimes
’
T
magazine. He just
dressedRihanna for theMTVVideoMusicAwards.
Or there’s
KrisVanAssche
.com), who relocated toParis andworks as the
artistic director for Dior Homme and shows his own
line duringParis FashionWeek.
But some of the best andbrightest have chosen
to stay inAntwerp, such as
ChristianWijnants
), a2000graduate of the
Royal Academy and aDriesVanNoten disciple. He
is now teaching at theRoyal Academy. His sought-
after line of twisted skirts and artistic asymmetrical
draped items is sold in some of the best fashion
boutiques around theworld, including Jeffrey and
Seven inNewYork andWalter inAntwerp. Then
there’s
BrunoPieters
(
,
who graduated in 1999 andworked forMartin
Margiela andChristian Lacroix inParis. He’s now
back inAntwerp, designing his own somewhat an-
drogynous line (which can also be found atWalter)
andworking as the new art director for HugoBoss’s
avant-garde collection. Finally, the shoe goddess
of Antwerp,
Els Proost
, also deservesmention. A
former accessories designer for VanNoten, Emporio
Armani, andMargiela, Proost has started her own
line, Elsa, and opened a store inAntwerpby the
same name to sell the collection of beautifullymade
artistic shoes, bags, andbelts, aswell as accessory
lines by other notableAntwerpdesigners such as
Fiorentini +Baker, NathalieVerlinden, andEllen
Verbeek.
ChARlEs RuNNEttE
is the deputy editor of
Hollywood Life
in
LosAngeles and a frequent contributor to
AmericanWay
.
